Between Intersectionality and Coloniality: Rereading the Figure of the Poto-Mitan Woman in Haiti

Abstract:This text mobilizes the theoretical frameworks of intersectionality and coloniality to analyze the figure of the Haitian poto-mitan woman—she who acts as a “central pillar”—a figure that was constructed during the history of colonialism. Colonial and postslavery relations initiated a process of coformation and coproduction and determined power relations that still traverse Haiti. They connect individual, national, and global dynamics that intertwine, frequently characterizing the poto-mitan women’s workforce as deviant. This article historicizes the poto-mitan woman and unveils how common conceptualizations appropriate the body and time of women assigned the duties of support and protection.